The photograph was taken by the couple, of the central Spanish city of Albacete, who had visited Morocco in August, Europa Press news agency reported. The couple sent the photograph by e-mail to local police, who passed it on to Interpol.

State news agency Efe also said that the photograph was passed on to Interpol, but the report did not say when it was taken.

Spanish police were not immediately available to comment. There have been numerous other reported sightings of her in the past.

The photograph, published on the Web sites of several Spanish newspapers Tuesday, shows a group of people walking along a road. One in the group, a woman in Moroccan-style clothing, is carrying a fair-haired child on her back.

Europa Press said the photograph was taken on a road near the northern city of Tangiers, which lies just across the Strait of Gibraltar from Spain.

Madeleine disappeared from a Portuguese resort on May 3, shortly before her fourth birthday. Her parents said they had left the girl and her younger twin siblings asleep in their rented villa while they had dinner nearby. Despite an extensive search and a worldwide publicity campaign by her parents, no trace of the child has been found.

The case took a startling twist earlier this month when Portuguese police named Kate and Gerry McCann official suspects in their daughter's disappearance. The parents deny any involvement, and insist police keep searching for Madeleine.